Ueda: Games can be art depending on the definition

Team ICO head Fumito Ueda has stated that, depending on the circumstances, videogames can be classed as art, but varies on which definition it can be classed as.

Speaking to Kotaku during a recent demo of The Last Guardian in Japan, Ueda explains the two sides of the argument.

“There are usually two classifications of art: high art and low art,” he said. Ueda believes that high art is based on the classical sense, with low art being movies and anime.

“But when you are talking about art, the word art, people tend to think you are talking about the first definition, which is a narrow definition. So if we are using that definition, then I do not think video games are art.”

That said, if the second definition that describes art for the masses, then Ueda is in agreement that games are art.

As for how he tends to generally see his own games in that way, Ueda explained all that in a new interview with GameSpot, which you can watch below. In a gist, he said ICO is “more computer entertainment than a videogame.

But what about Shadow of the Colossus and Last Guardian?

“As for Shadow, we focused more on the videogame element. And here, on The Last Guardian, we focused more on the computer entertainment.”